Chapter 1 The Chance Encounter

• I stared enthralled with the city lights sparkling below like a sea of stars from Leonard's opulent hotel suite's wide balcony. On his wedding night, which ought to have been filled with excitement and celebration, the excess all around us felt oppressive.
• Leonard felt as though he was being suffocated even in this purported happy time by the weight of expectations and the unrelenting chase of success.
• Turning slightly, Leonard heard the door creak open behind him and saw my form creeping softly across the room. My heart thumping at the unplanned meeting with the wedded billionaire, I froze.
• I said, "Sorry, sir," only able to raise my voice above whisper. I had no idea anybody was here.
• Leonard said, "It's quite alright," sounding a little amused. To be really honest, I could use the business. It has been a rather... overpowering evening.
• Having too much experience with the emotion, I nodded sympathetically. As a lowly cleaner, I had developed a quiet efficiency in handling obstacles in life.
• I was struck, as we said a few kind things, by Leonard's sincere presence in the middle of his world of superficiality. Notwithstanding our disparities in income and prestige, there was something about him that seemed incredibly genuine.
• We had no idea that this accidental meeting would set off a journey that would fundamentally alter our lives.
• We talked nonstop all evening, laughing and telling stories like though we were old friends. Leonard revealed his goals, worries, and greatest vulnerabilities to me in a way he had never done with anybody else. I also shared snippets of my own history, outlining the challenges that had moulded me into the person I am now.
• We developed a fascination in that private conversation that cut over our divides. We were pulled to one other against all the circumstances in a way that neither of us could put into words.
• But Leonard's new wife Rosy's unannounced arrival cut short our developing relationship. Standing in the entryway, she surveyed the sight in front of her with a look that was both bewildered and angry.
• What is happening here, Leonard? Sharply accusing, Rosy demanded.
• Leonard was having trouble speaking, so I went forward with quiet dignity, prepared to deal with the fallout from our unanticipated relationship.
• I apologised gently, "ma'am," my eyes sombre. Not that I intended to bother you. Mr. Leonard and I struck up a conversation as I was cleaning the room."
• Realising the seriousness of the situation, Rosy looked between us with obvious mistrust and jealousy.
• Has this really happened, Leonard? she asked. Was she the one you truly spent our wedding night with?
• Between his allegiance to his new wife and the obvious bond he had with me, Leonard hesitated. But I decided for him before he could say anything, quietly exiting the room and left them to deal with their complicated emotional web.
• My steps resonating quietly in the quiet as I vanished into the night, I couldn't get rid of the impression that I had just let something special go. And I knew that our accidental meeting had sent Leonard and Rosy on a torturous and uncertain road as they faced the reality of their shaky marriage.
• But I knew he couldn't sit on the past as he turned to face Rosy. We had a vow to keep and a marriage to save, even if it meant putting his pleasure last for outward appearances. Leonard sighing heavily, he got ready for the challenging talk that was about to happen.
• Rosy was standing in front of him, hurt and enraged at the same time. She had seen the uncertainty seeping into our relationship like a shadow, heard the murmurs, but she never anticipated to be told the truth on our wedding night.
• The words to describe the anguish inside her tightened into fists at her sides.
• She started, "Leonard," her voice quivering with emotion. No words come to me. You can't possibly have done this to me. To us?"
• The accusation in Rosy's eyes and the anguish in her words plummeted my heart. Though I knew that words could not mend the wounds that had been done to our marriage, I still wanted to soothe her.
• As for Rosey, I... Leonard began, fumbling for the words to say. “I never intended to hurt you. I do, I really do, adore you.
• But I could see even as he was speaking that his love for Jenny was greater than his love for Rosy. And when Rosy looked at me, I saw the reality in her eyes—that our marriage was based on deceit and falsehoods, that our love was only a front.
• I realized then and there that our brittle marriage was perilously close to breaking up. And I wondered whether Leonard had made the biggest mistake of his life as he stood before Rosy, our future unknown.
• With her head spinning from Leonard's betrayal, Rosy didn't lose any time in asking him about the murmurs she'd heard. Her voice was calm, but her eyes revealed a kind of inner struggle.
• Rosy started, "Leonard, we need to talk," her voice hard. Rumors about your unwillingness to wed me have been floating about. Does such a truth exist?
• Knowing there was no avoiding the reality, my heart fell as I met Rosy's stare. I inhaled deeply, bracing myself for the inevitable exchange.
• Rosy, I..." I began, a moment of trembling in my voice, then carried on. “I have doubted things and battled with my emotions, that much is true. But if I say I love you, please do believe me. Simply said, I need some time to get things sorted."
• Rosy only listened, processing my remarks with an unreadable look. The brittle basis of our marriage was perilously close to breaking at that very moment.
• As the evening went on, we were overcome with a tornado of feelings and our minds were preoccupied with what had happened on our wedding night.
• Tension in the air, uncertainty weighing down on us like a smothering blanket.
• The mysterious Jenny who had suddenly come into my life and sparked emotions I had never realized existed, would not go away.
• I tried to drive her out of my thoughts, but she followed me around like a ghost, bringing me the knowledge of what might have been.
• By contrast, Rosy was a tornado of contradictory feelings. As she struggled with the disclosure of my reservations about our marriage, hurt, anger, and betrayal all fought for control inside her.
• She didn't know how I could have kept such a terrible secret from her, how I could have stood in front of her and promised my love while feeling unsure about myself.
• The tension between us grew as the minutes stretched into hours, a kind of impenetrable silent barrier.
• Though I knew that words would not be enough to heal our breach, I wished to soothe and reassure Rosy of my love.
• We had no idea that the hotel manager had heard Rosy's scathing accusations reverberating down the hallway. He lingered before our door, thinking whether to step in, worried about his visitors' welfare.
• At last, unable to bear the sound of Rosy's anguish any longer, he knocked softly on the door, calling out to us in a voice full of real concern.
• "Is everything okay in there?" he questioned in a strong but kind tone. "I had to overhear. Anything I can do to help you?"
• His words hung there, a kind of lifeline in the middle of the mayhem that was about to swallow us. And as we looked at one other, a quiet understanding of the turbulent path that lay ahead and the unknowns about our wedding night and future for our brittle marriage went between us.